Cores and moulds for producing castings are formed from individual core parts, which are assembled to form an overall core. For this purpose the individual core parts are individually produced in a core shooting machine and are subsequently assembled by adhesion to form the core stack. Adhesive application and joining together were initially carried out manually.
An automatic apparatus in the form of a core stacking machine for the assembly of ready-to-cast core stacks is proposed in DE-OS 35 26 295 including a removal means for discharging the cores from the core shooting machine, a pivoting means for the joint pivoting up of the still separate cores, an adhesive application system, a stacking means for joining together the core stack and a dipping means. For the joint swinging or pivoting of the cores, the pivoting means has a parallel guide, so that the initially horizontally juxtaposed cores, on pivoting in the vertical direction, are super-imposed with their regions to be interconnected. For this purpose the pivoting means has lateral clamping means for the cores, which act on corresponding reception means, which must be constructed on the cores during the manufacture of the cores, for example, hexagonal shoulders. The cores are then kept spaced in the vertical direction. The adhesion means has spray nozzles which can be pivoted between the cores and which can simultaneously be pivoted between the core parts and simultaneously position all the adhesion points. Thus, corresponding adhesion nozzles must be provided for the core part and must be located at a predetermined distance and with a predetermined arrangement on the core part for positioning the adhesion points and which can at the best be adapted by complicated reequipping measures on different types of core parts. After positioning the adhesion points the lifting device engages below the bottom core part and initially raises the same and then, by the bottom core part the other core parts and simultaneously the clamping means release the core parts. The thus formed core stack is pressed together under a certain pressure and subsequently moved to a dipping unit with a dipping tank, where the core stack is placed on a dipping table and immersed with the latter into the dipping liquid.
While an apparatus of the aforementioned type operates in a satisfactory manner the proposed apparatus can only process predetermined core parts for predetermined core stacks, unless extensive reequipping and modification measures are taken. In addition, there is a considerable moment of inertia through the pivoting of the spaced core parts, so that high rotary forces must be expended. Finally, the individual core parts are fixed to a relatively marked extent by the clamping means and the reciprocal relative positioning given by the clamping means is maintained even after placing on the lifting means. Thus, as a result of the necessary tolerance during the manufacture of the core parts, the core parts may not be readily assembled and may instead by subject to damage at the fitting points.